Revenge Revisited

by MothToANewFlame

What if Daniel had found out Emily's true identity at the end of Season 1? With this knowledge could they have a chance again? What if he became her ally? A rewrite of Seasons 2-4 featuring a slight change to the Season 1 finale, the return of some favorite characters, and a chance for the heroes and villains to 'do-over' … New beginnings and slightly different endings…

21. Chapter 21: Truth (Part 1)

Chapter 21: Truth, Part One

Darkness scares us.

We yearn for the comfort of light as it provides shape and form – allowing us to recognize, to define what's before us. But what is it we're afraid of, really? Not the darkness itself… But the truth we know hides within.

"It's not just the power grids," Nolan deduced skillfully, making a sweep of his office while Emily and Aiden remained at the window, a small distance apart. "All the automated systems are fried – Internet providers, cell connections, WiMAX, LTE…"

"What is going on out there?" Emily sighed to herself, anxiously resting her hands on her hips.

Meanwhile, Aiden turned to face him. "Do you have a radio that still runs on batteries? Maybe a survival kit?" he asked, still focused on the ACF account.

Nolan shrugged a negative reply. "Sadly, my plans for the apocalypse consisted of making a list that started and ended with 'Call Emily'," he gestured quotation marks, checking on her with a worried look. Despite the interruption, he knew she had no intention of skirting the last topic they were discussing. "Wait," he suddenly realized. "I do have something solar-powered that could be of use?"

Emily turned to acknowledge them finally. "No, we can't wait until sunrise, Nolan."

"Well, actually, it's about a thousand miles above us in geocentric orbit, where it's pretty much sunny all the time," he explained.

"Nolsat?" Emily affirmed.

"What do you need to set up a connection?" Aiden piped in eagerly.

"Just a laptop with some juice," Nolan answered, springing towards the hall to scour for one. He was partially relieved to have the task, leaving the two to their unfinished business.

Emily took note of his absence, jumping on the opportunity without hesitation. She stepped toward Aiden, commanding his attention. "Aiden, you're not getting out of this," she reminded him in a forceful tone. "Tell me the truth—is Amanda really alive?"

With gravity, he met her intense gaze. "She was when I left her," he replied huskily.

Emily parted her lips and released a breath in disbelief. "How?" she whispered instinctively, despite caring more about why she was just finding out.

Aiden ignored it in favor of his own question, elevating his chin. "So he told you, did he?" he pushed back, while her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Who?" She snapped with an edge, racking her brain for possibilities. "If you're implying Takeda had something to do with this, then no – I had to find out from Ashley. Yeah, she saw her on a surveillance photo." Aiden's face twitched and she wondered was it a reaction to Ashley knowing or her showing up on surveillance. She pursued instantly, folding her arms. "Funny, the same day she shows up at the airport – you end up not making your flight to Japan? I'm guessing that's not a coincidence."

Evading the momentary distraction that Emily had not found out from Daniel, Aiden acknowledged her clever assessment. "No, it isn't," he answered bravely. "And yes – Takeda is a part of this – a much bigger part than you realize. We worked together to save her but… he had a change of heart."

Emily could barely control her anger enough to demand further explanation. "Aiden, how could you keep something like this from me – how could he keep something like this from me?!" she burst forward, the wells of her eyes reddening.

Aiden moved in to catch her, rushing to explain. "Emily, trust me I wanted to—time and again I wanted to, but Takeda swore me to secrecy—"

"I don't believe you!" she barked back, pushing him away.

"It's the truth—" he insisted.

"I mourned her, Aiden—" Emily cut in, angrily wiping tears from her eyes. "I mourned her for months while you – you knew?" She shook her head in disbelief. "You knew all that time and never told me?"

"He vowed me to silence to make sure you continued down your path!" Aiden spat in a hurry, trying to unload all the details despite her batting him off. "Emily, please listen—he's kept things from both of us, he's been using us this whole time," he glanced towards the dark window. "Everything that's going on around us is because of him-!"

"You're lying!" Emily bellowed back into his face.

Aiden shook his head honestly, and allowed her to shove him away. "You're just afraid to accept the truth—"

"The truth?" she asserted with a fearsome look. "Why should I expect that from you when you've been lying to me this whole time?!"

Unable to wait any longer, Nolan stumbled back in, using the break that followed Emily's retort to update them on the current situation. "Hey!" he interjected, putting up a hand as he glanced uneasily from one to the other. "I'm sorry to interrupt but – I've got something."

SCENE

"So… what happened?"

Ashley tried awkwardly to make conversation after minutes of silence passed in Emily's living room. While staying behind had not been the plan, the blackout meant neither she nor Amanda had many options of where to go, and in the cold weather Emily's fireplace had been more than appealing.

Amanda poked at the fire with an iron without response to Ashley's question, and instead concentrated on warming her fingertips. She kept her eyes on the flame and finally responded. "Where do I begin?"

Ashley tilted her head to watch her, remembering the troubled look in her eyes, the distant quality of her disposition. While her traits were all familiar, there was still something different, as if she had changed during her time away. "Well," Ashley continued, leaning forward. "How did you do it—why did you do it?"

"Fake my own death?" Amanda smirked, setting down the iron to cool. "It's complicated," she said without turning.

Ashley expected as much, electing to go with another question. "Alright," she moved on. "Where's Lydia Davis? I know you had something to do with her disappearance."

Amanda chuckled outright at that question, still staring ahead. "She's in a backwater rehab facility only a handful of people know about. Clearing her head," she hinted ominously.

"That's good to know," Ashley exhaled, filing away the update for later. As Amanda continued silent, she decided to cease asking questions in favor of offering up her own information, hoping it would spur her on to talk. "You know, Emily was floored when she found out about you," she started, glancing down at her palms. "I can only imagine what Jack's reaction will be…"

Amanda turned on that point, facing her. "Emily knows?" she repeated.

Seeing her method effective, Ashley reached into her handbag, where her tablet still had enough charge left to power on. She pulled up the surveillance photo and handed it over, as Amanda edged closer with intrigue. "Whatever game you're running," Ashley commented in reference. "You've not been that discreet. I showed her just before she left here tonight…" she trailed off, studying their surroundings. "It was her and Daniel's engagement party."

Amanda took in the stray bits of information but continued to stare at the photo, shaking her head before returning it to Ashley without a word. Aiden had advised her against being seen in public and for the first time since their training commenced, she had not listened. Already she could sense her old ways returning, the defiance in her trapped beneath a temporary cover of stillness and stoicism.

Ashley observed her struggle, as a thought came to mind. "But obviously for you to come here tonight – you must have wanted her to know," she deduced. "Didn't you?"

Amanda sighed, preparing to open up. "I'm tired of hiding," she finally admitted. "I did it to try to keep Jack & Carl safe but… I'm not sure much has changed." She intensified her gaze, drawing on emotion from deep within. "And I miss them more than anything in the world."

Sympathizing, Ashley reached over tentatively to rest a hand on Amanda's knee, comforting her. "Of course you do. They miss you terribly," she whispered in an endearing tone. She watched as Amanda fought off tears, and tried feebly to continue encouraging her. "You couldn't possibly imagine how much Jack has suffered since losing you. He's been on a warpath to take down the Graysons ever since—"

"The Graysons can't find out I'm alive," Amanda snapped sternly, cutting her short. Her face softened and she explained. "Believe me, it takes everything in me not to run to Jack – not to hold my baby in my arms …" she paused, wiping moisture from her eyes before growing serious. "But the mere thought of them coming after my family again isn't worth the risk. I can't have that," her eyes fell over Ashley suspiciously. "And I can't have anyone telling them, either."

"Believe me, I won't say a word," Ashley swore, bringing her hand up over her heart. "The only reason I came back was to make sure those people got what they deserved. It's just that," she fumbled nervously, while Amanda watched her. "Well, the truth is there's quite a line building for that task." She gestured aside. "Emily seems to be leading her own coup… but Jack's not far behind. He wants revenge against them, Amanda – I think he's going to go after Conrad."

Amanda swallowed, realizing that no matter how much she wanted to protect her family, she could not control that which had already been set in motion by her supposed death. She listened as Ashley continued to elaborate.

"And at this point," she finished. "I think seeing you is just about the only thing that would stop him."

SCENE

"This way – we're going to Dad's headquarters."

Daniel jammed his phone back in his pocket in frustration after failing at reaching Emily for the third time, and instead used his free hand to lead his sister outside of the restaurant. Charlotte followed closely, trying to keep up as her brother directed them down the darkened street amidst car horns and near accidents. "That's 15 blocks!" she exclaimed.

"Right now, it's safe," Daniel explained. He knew the only reason his father could even boast a secure worksite was likely due to some involvement in the goings on around them. But he couldn't think about that now, not while he could not reach Emily and certainly not after finding out his sister was pregnant.

Reading his thoughts, Charlotte implored, "Look you're not going to tell Mom and Dad about me being pregnant, are you? Because I don't even know what I'm going to do yet—"

Daniel half turned, his look giving her a clear negative response. "Look, you're going to talk about this with Declan and you two are going to figure it out," he assured her, placing a loving hand on her shoulder. "Either way, me and Emily support you, Char."

"Aw, Daniel," Charlotte whispered, appreciating the support. "That means so much." She leaned in to embrace him, letting out an admiring sigh at how easily Daniel spoke of him and Emily as if they were one flesh already. With heartfelt excitement, she gushed over his shoulder, "I hope to have what you and Emily have someday."

"You will," Daniel whispered back emphatically and then separated, lowering his brow. "But you have to tell Declan right away – you can't keep this from him," he offered in reflection. "Despite what you think, there's actually something I've kept from Em for a long time – and it's eating me up inside."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes in curiosity. "What is it?" she asked immediately.

Daniel shook it off, taking her by the hand again to lead her forward. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you until I tell her first—" he broke into a stride to override her protest, intent on reaching headquarters as soon as possible. "But if we ever get out of here – that's the first thing I'm gonna do."

SCENE

"The power is out all up the coast."

Jack rubbed his hands together to create warmth as he returned to the bar where Victoria was now lighting candles. He watched her edgily, still unsure what to make of her presence. "Aside from a few boats, it's a wall of darkness out there. Phone's dead."

"My cell as well," Victoria responded, gesturing to him. "I imagine yours is, too."

"Tower's got to be down," Jack rationalized, concentrating in hypothesis. "It's gotta be some kind of freak electrical event." Again he watched her carefully, making small talk. "I suppose the, uh, upside to being so busy with Conrad's campaign is Carl's at my grandmother's for the week."

Victoria smiled as if his statement was a small personal victory. "How quickly the safety of our loved ones trumps other deliberations," she observed, unconsciously referencing a view she had held for quite some years.

Jack failed to take the bait, snipping back. "For me, those things are one and the same."

Victoria met his reply with fair acceptance, her pale features warmed by the candlelight. She rested her weight at the edge of the counter, ready to continue on their discussion from the previous day. "You know, Jack – that footage you showed me is far from a smoking gun," she hinted deviously. "Even if Lydia and Conrad appeared to bask in the aftermath of their conspiracy – with one of them disappeared and the other in a powerful position to override, I daresay there's little you'll accomplish with it?"

Jack stepped closer, taking her affront as a challenge. "I suppose I should've expected as much from you," he retorted with disdain. "Knowing how you felt about Amanda?"

"It was she who came after my family," Victoria differed with a look of disapproval. "Not the other way around." She waited while Jack kept silent and then moved to play her next hand. "Given your low opinion of me, why trust me now? I could easily alert Conrad of your plans the moment the power returns."

Jack chortled, remembering Ashley's earlier suggestion to wait on Victoria's response. She was right – it was clear she was reneging on her previous complacency. But he would not give up just yet. "I had a feeling you'd change your tune," he alleged, prepared to handle it. "So instead I'll ask you a question. You were in love with Amanda's father, weren't you?" he posed boldly.

"Yes, I was," she answered wistfully.

Jack leaned forward to further test her out. "What if I told you that Conrad has a laptop in his possession that could prove he was responsible for everything – everything that happened to David Clarke?"

Victoria pondered intensely, despite needing much longer than the moment she took to deliberate. "I'd want to know what was on it," she answered, unhesitant.

This time Jack leaned back, nodding in agreement. "Then we share a common goal – and that's all that matters. Cause whatever's on it; it was enough to warrant Amanda's murder." He stared her down, ready to push aside their matched caution to get to business. "Now, I've worked for your husband for six weeks. I've gone through your home. But he has a safe in his office that I can't get into."

Victoria peered at him from the corner of her eye while he rounded the corner from the bar, implying he wanted access. She thought carefully and finally gave in. "By all means," she responded. "Allow me to satisfy both our curiosities."

SCENE

"Excuse me—excuse me, do you know if a Charlotte Clarke was here?"

Declan tapped nervously at the counter of the police station, despite being ignored by yet another officer that walked by. With just the emergency lighting available and the systems down, the station was frenzied with desk officers on their feet trying to work at a solution. He leaned forward; hoping to get another's attention and again was ignored. "Excuse me, Officer?" he tried again, while another came walking by. "Can you help me find my friend, please-?"

The officer gave him but a sideward glance and Declan sighed in exasperation, barely noticing when a tall figure came up beside him with papers in hand. "You looking for Charlotte?" the man said, having watched his desperate attempts.

Declan turned to acknowledge him. "Yeah – do you know her?"

"Her brother left with her about an hour ago," he answered, sliding a form onto the counter. "And just a word to the wise – mentioning the name Grayson, instead of Clarke will get you much faster attention around here."

"Yeah, well that's the name she wants to go by, so—" Declan replied, trailing off as he suddenly recognized his companion. "Wait a minute; you're Rick, aren't you? The guy from the video?"

Confirming his suspicions, Rick suddenly turned to speak to the officer that came over to collect his paperwork. "If that's everything, I'm going to try to get out of here—"

But Declan stopped him, standing in his path. "Now I recognize you, you were at the Masquerade Ball," he recollected, picturing him standing next to Regina around the time Charlotte wailed on her. "Hey, what's your angle on Charlotte anyway?" he pursued.

"Look, I don't want any trouble—" Rick insisted, putting his hands in the air, palms upward.

"Neither do I," Declan continued anxiously, conscious of where they stood. "It's just you see, I'm her boyfriend and when she shows up on YouTube kissing another guy," he shrugged satirically, while Rick continued to shift in discomfort. "Well, that's kind of a problem for me."

Rick took a breath, pressing his hands together calmly. "You'll have to take that up with her, buddy—" he began, pausing as he recalled his name. "It's Declan, isn't it? Declan – trust me, there's no angle," he glanced over his shoulder to gesture to the police counter. "I was actually here just giving a statement to clear her of any charges when the power went down."

"Oh really?" Declan pushed, folding his arms. "Then maybe you can tell me what really happened, why they arrested her in the first place?"

Rick continued to speak cautiously and respectfully. "There was an awkward run-in at the club and the cops just assumed she was harassing me," he edged in reply. "But, that's not what happened at all—"

"Yeah I bet," Declan cut in anyway, eyeing him up and down. "It's obvious you're the one that's harassing her. What is it with you anyway? You know Charlotte's had a rough year, what are you trying to take advantage of her because she's under a lot of stress—"

"Look man, I promise you that's not it," Rick tried to insist, gesturing.

But Declan's pulse had already begun to rise. "You just show up out of nowhere and suddenly she's wrapped around your finger –" he stopped himself short, a thought entering his mind. "Are you trying to get close to the Graysons or something?" he suddenly pressed, getting closer.

Rick dropped his hand, finally responding in kind. "What are you, jealous?!"

Declan leaned in sternly. "I'm not jealous – I'm just not stupid!"

"No I guess you're not," Rick asserted back forcefully, and then paused, realizing their exchange was catching the eye of on looking officers. He calmed himself as Declan did the same and took a deep breath. "You know what—forget it. I won't even try to BS you – yeah, I'm trying to get close to the Graysons," he replied mockingly.

"Wow," Declan fawned, standing back. "You've got more guts than I thought. So what do you stand to gain from them? Money? Fame? Attention – what?"

Rick shook his head in exasperation, reaching his boiling point as he realized some kind of admission was imminent. He took another glance around his surroundings, knowing they needed to leave where they stood before he said another word. "Once I tell you, you'll realize just how ridiculous this all is," he began. "But trust me – it's not what you think."

SCENE

Emily crossed her arms as Nolan used his satellite connection to re-access the Amanda Clarke Foundation, confirming the contents had indeed been emptied. While he sifted through a web of coding, she sidestepped his progress to continue grilling Aiden from where they left off discussion.

"Why would Takeda align himself with the Initiative?" she demanded from her side of the desk, with Nolan juxtaposed between them like a mediator.

"He was infiltrating them Emily, just like we've been infiltrating the Graysons," Aiden explained to her, trying to maintain his patience. "He made the deal with hopes of destroying them but when things started to go haywire with Trask; he had to cut ties with his remaining risk—"

"You," Emily finished, starting to catch on. Aiden nodded and she shook her head condescendingly, recalling many warnings she had given him about taking matters into his own hands. Even without knowing Takeda's revelation, she had enough instincts to predict his actions would result in catastrophe. "So how does Amanda fit into all this," she continued. "Where is she?"

Aiden tried to placate her with a calming gesture. "Somewhere safe, if she knows what's best for her," he assured. Still hoping to alleviate her worries, Aiden drew closer to her again, lowering his tone as he placed a hand on her arm. "Emily, trust me she can protect herself – I helped train her," he confessed.

Emily's eyes widened in alarm and she quickly snatched her arm away. "You two were working together?" she gaped, leaning her head forward. "For how long?" Before he could even answer, pieces of the puzzle slowly came together. "Lydia," she realized. "Lydia's disappearance—that was you two—"

"She wanted justice for what they did—" Aiden rushed to explain, but Emily was in a frenzy, her hands at her forehead as she grasped the full picture.

"Justice?!" Emily burst aloud, drawing Nolan to turn around at attention. "Aiden, what the hell do you think I've been fighting for this entire time—don't you realize everything I've worked at is now jeopardized because of you, you had no right to involve her in any of this—"

"It wasn't just my doing, Emily," he reminded her again. "That's what I keep trying to explain to you, this was all orchestrated by Takeda – he's the one who commissioned her to get involved, he decided it was you that needed her assistance to take down the Graysons—"

"So he had you fake her death instead of just telling me?!" Emily burst aloud, shaking her head in disbelief. "Aiden, none of this makes sense—" she protested while Aiden reached out again to calm her. "Take your hands off of me!" she snapped back, fending him off again.

Suddenly Nolan was interrupting them both. "Hey, both of you listen!" he yelled, standing to his feet with arms outstretched. He glanced from one to the other, though his update was primarily for Emily's sake. "If what Aiden says about Takeda is true we have a bigger problem," he gestured to his computer screen. "He manipulated that account so that draining it would set off a chain reaction to activate Carrion, shutting down the power and implicating him in the process." He paused for effect, reemphasizing the significance with a pleading look to Emily. "He set him up!"

Emily grew quiet, reading the screen while Aiden looked at her meaningfully. "Now do you believe me?" he insisted. "This business with the Initiative, keeping Amanda a secret – don't you see we've not been fighting the enemy; we've been helping him all along?"

Seconds passed and Emily continued to ponder, calming enough so that Nolan sunk into his seat again, waiting for her to make a collective reply. Her pupils twitched back and forth as her wheels turned, formulating the best way to proceed. "I need to find Takeda," she finally resolved. "He needs to answer for this. In the meantime Aiden; you need to go dark—"

"Emily, you can't—" he started to argue, knowing better but she plowed forward.

"No, you listen to me," she nearly shouted in his face. "I'm not gonna sit back and watch Takeda or the Initiative turn you into their next David Clarke!"

With that Emily stormed off, leaving Aiden behind in the room to look to Nolan for support. Nolan could only put up a hand helplessly, knowing Emily was unstoppable when she was like this. "If you're thinking about going after her," he preceded, guessing Aiden's thoughts. "Don't. Takeda was the only mentor she's ever had – and finding out all of this in one day – I can't imagine what she'll do. But either way, she deserves to get the truth from him."

Aiden exhaled to himself, knowing that was one thing she would never have. "It's not the truth that scares me," he confessed. "It's what she'll find when she gets there."

SCENE

"We are back, people!"

Conrad raised his hands in celebration as the lights and power thundered back on simultaneously in his campaign office, followed by cheers from his remaining workers. He strode the center aisle with a smile, giving out quick instructions to recall the troops they had sent home. As he turned to address a few employees, he suddenly spied familiar faces coming through the front doors. "Well, there's a sight for sore eyes," he exhaled as Daniel and Charlotte came over to him. He dismissed the aides at his side to have a lone moment with his children. "How are you two? Where have you been?"

"Walking for the last three hours," Charlotte whimpered immediately, leaning on a nearby desk. "I swear; I can hardly stand any longer."

"Here, take my key," her father responded at once, handing it over while Daniel looked on curiously. "Lay down in my suite upstairs—" he paused, only just noticing her skimpy outfit under the coat she hugged tight to her figure. "And I'll get my assistant to find you a change of clothes," he added.

Charlotte recoiled in surprise at his consideration, glancing over to her brother and back before finally accepting the kindness. "Um… thanks, Dad?" she murmured, accepting the key.

Daniel nodded for her to go, and took advantage of the lone moment with his father once she was gone. "You're in an awfully hospitable mood considering the impact the outage might have had on your numbers?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Daniel," Conrad shrugged it off, peering over his shoulder. "With the systems back up and running they'll be able to capture the figures in no time. Besides," he brooded expectantly. "Haven't you been watching the news? As of last night my opponent was all but vanquished."

"You're kidding," Daniel exhaled, a sarcastic response bubbling up immediately. "Who'd you get to take out the current governor?"

"Ah, no one but himself," his father corrected him slyly. "He confessed to having a condition that renders him unable to serve in office. And I'll overlook that blatant insult you just lobbed at me to inquire as to the whereabouts of your fiancé?"

Daniel rolled his eyes, not so easily convinced that his father was not somehow entangled in his opponent's resignation. "I don't know," he replied truthfully, checking his cellular again. "Phone's not working – I haven't been able to reach her." With urgency, he realized he had to save his suspicions for later in favor of getting to Emily first. "I gotta get back to the office," he resolved, turning to head back out. "I'll try her from the landline there."

Before he could make headway his father was reaching out, grabbing him by the arm. "Daniel, I would steer clear of Grayson Global today if I were you," he insisted, and Daniel glanced menacingly at where his father had his arm grasped, prompting him to gradually release it.

"You know something?" he huffed back disdainfully.

Conrad chose his words with care. "Well, just, uh, take it from someone who knows it's better to err on the side of caution," he alluded. "The Initiative is a dangerous conglomerate, and it wouldn't surprise me if they just targeted a slew of critical infrastructures..." he trailed off, watching Daniel's disbelieving expression intensify. "Son, trust me – if that's the case, you can expect investors to be terrified that their money isn't safe. I mean, they could be marching up from Wall Street with torches and pitchforks before this is over," he attempted to laugh it off.

Fully convinced there was more to what he knew, Daniel challenged him. "Well then, its best I make sure of the safety of my employees," he retorted coyly. "So I still need to report in."

Just then, Conrad's aide returned, interrupting them with an update. "Mr. Grayson, your helicopter is waiting?"

Conrad acknowledged it, still preserving a cautious look for his son. "I'm off to pick up your mother," he explained, resting a hand on his shoulder. "But, heed my advice, will you? Shut down the office, send the employees home, and then get yourself back here in front of the cameras with your family where you belong, hm?"

Daniel nodded, but cast a wary gaze over his shoulder to watch him walk off, wondering what his motives were in urging him to avoid Grayson Global at all costs. Certain that going there would be the only way to find out and further, the only way to reach Emily, he discarded it for the moment and hastened to get on his way.

SCENE

"Emily?"

Nolan edged into Takeda's Hamptons hideout, pushing open the front door that was left ajar. As soon as he entered, he felt an eerie coldness in the room and something told him Aiden's foreshadowing had rung true. While he had left not long after Emily's exit, Nolan had taken advantage of the power returning to run his program on autopilot and come be by her side. And as he finally caught sight of her seated in the common room, her head hung forward in her hands, he knew he had made the right choice.

"Ems," he called out, rushing over only to feel ill-equipped at the sight of Takeda's motionless body on the floor beside her feet. "Oh God!" he gasped, putting a hand to his mouth.

"He's gone," she whispered, and Nolan could see her struggling to keep composed beneath her tear-stained face. She looked back down at Takeda's body in disbelief, shaking her head as the memories of her first days of training came flooding back to mind, each more painful as she now understood their true meaning. "He was like this when I got here."

"Ems, I'm so sorry," Nolan settled beside her, placing an arm around her shoulder. Seeing her in pain was enough to bring tears to his own eyes, and they glistened while he tried to understand. "Do you know what happened?"

She shook her head, shutting out her emotions in an attempt to let the sharpness of her instincts kick in. "Whoever did this must have gained his trust," she deduced, looking to Nolan in response.

"The Initiative?" he guessed, but Emily's mind appeared elsewhere.

She lifted her clenched hands and for the first time Nolan could see she was holding something. "I found this," she explained, handing over a small newspaper clipping. Nolan took note, recognizing the photo taken of Conrad and Lydia with Jack in between from when he first joined the campaign office. "Amanda was here," Emily continued. "That was upstairs, along with the rest of her things," She trailed off with a worried look. "She must have left in a hurry..."

Nolan deliberated, following her lead. "You don't think—" he started, looking from Emily to the clipping, to Takeda's body and back again. "She-?"

"I don't know," Emily replied swiftly, her voice trembling. She shrugged, still fighting off tears. "Maybe she found out the truth… maybe Aiden was right," she guessed, but that's all her thoughts were, uncertain guesses and stabs in the dark, attempting to make sense of so much she didn't know. "If Takeda was using her all this time, she wouldn't have taken it well," she conjectured aloud. But another glance at his fatal wound dissuaded her. "But I can't imagine her being able to defeat him?"

"Aiden did say he trained her," Nolan added in recollection. "If that's true then… Ems, this isn't the same Amanda that sailed off on her honeymoon with Jack," he realized. "This is someone who had her life taken from her by the same people who took yours, someone who was forced into hiding, trained to be a warrior—" With sudden epiphany, Nolan paused to sum it all up. "Emily, she's reliving everything you did when you first started."

Emily lifted her head, seeing the eternal irony in how they shared each other's identity and seemed destined to be the same person. With angst, she shook the thought from mind. "I could never have done something like this," she defended herself, knowing Amanda's capacity for murder held less shame than her own. "But regardless of what she's done – if Amanda has a chance to live again I won't let her suffer the same fate I've had to," she resolved, taking the clipping back from Nolan to study Jack's picture. "She has a family – she needs to be with them."

Nolan looked around, trying to search out what to do next. "So what do we do – wait for her to come back?"

Emily stared ahead, thinking. "No," she replied wisely. "She would know better than to return." She glanced down at the body again. "There's only one katana, which means either she has the other weapon, or..." she trailed off, looking for Nolan to provide his own estimation.

"Or someone else took it," he hypothesized. "To protect her?"

She nodded in agreement, as her mind immediately went to Aiden and her only option to investigate. "Someone who knows a lot more about this than we do."

SCENE

"I believe it was Yogi Berra who once said, 'this is like Deja vu all over again'."

Conrad grinned devilishly as he made his grand entrance into Grayson Manor, coinciding with Victoria descending the stairwell with an unimpressed glare. "Your glibness never ceases to chill me to the bone," she replied, folding her arms and squinting in the late morning sun. "Have you not given a moment's thought to your children? Neither came home last night."

"They are both safe and sound at campaign headquarters," Conrad asserted, which only gave her assurance enough to stroll right past him into the dining room. He followed behind impatiently. "And I brought the chopper to personally escort you to town for a camera-ready reunion."

"Mm," Victoria rolled over his suggestion with disinterest, selecting a few items to nibble on as she took a seat at the head of the table. "Well, you seem awfully confident that this election's going to turn in your favor," she surmised, sipping at her tea. "Whereas, had you been privy to my discussion with Jack Porter last night… perhaps you might feel different?"

Conrad hastened his steps to meet her sideward glare with a concerned look of his own. "Jack Porter?" he repeated.

"He knows what happened on the Amanda," she explained matter-of-factly. "And thanks to my foresight in visiting him to discuss it," she dangled deviously, knowing she had his attention. "I uncovered much about his true intention for joining your campaign."

"And what, pray tell, might that be?" Conrad followed anxiously.

Victoria smiled, enjoying having something of value to use to her benefit. "Well, I'm not certain I can say," she pretended, hiding behind her teacup. She gestured to their surroundings. "After showing him around our abode into the wee hours of the night… I'm afraid my memory is rather fuzzy of his exact words."

Growing irritated, Conrad leaned forward onto the chair beside Victoria. "You brought him here?" he restated. "Why on earth would you do that?"

"Well to put his suspicions to rest, of course," she sneered, aware she was flirting with danger. "As I recall," she dragged. "He was determined to find the computer that led to Amanda's death – he's convinced it was you that stole it back from him."

Conrad creased his brow. "No, it wasn't me?" he insisted honestly. "Up until this point I thought it was deteriorating somewhere on the ocean floor."

"Oh," she replied, pleased with his answer. Now that she could confirm neither of the two had it, she could proceed with her bargaining point. "Well, then I suppose that's all there is to it," she pretended to finish.

Conrad sighed, knowing he wasn't getting out without making a deal. "Alright, Victoria – what is it you want?"

"Confirmation," Victoria responded in kind. "That the moment you are elected, you will leave for the governor's mansion in Albany, releasing me from any obligation to be by your side again. And once your initial term is firmly established? You grant me the legal separation I requested at the start of the summer."

Conrad sighed. "As much as that is a nearly impossible feat to accomplish in the public eye, I suppose with my new son to occupy my time it's worth considering," he relented, raising a finger. "But, only if you promise not to shame our family's brand with any further skeletons leaking to the press?" Victoria nodded graciously and Conrad obliged. "Very well, then. What is Jack planning?"

"To sabotage your 4:00 press conference this afternoon with a recording of you and Lydia discussing Amanda's death," she answered flatly, sipping at her tea again.

Conrad rolled his eyes emphatically, floored at how mere moments of his private life always seemed to find their way to the forefront. "Dear heavens, as if Lydia hasn't already been through enough. Well, for starters," he thought aloud. "I'll simply instruct Ashley to make sure that he's barred from the gates this afternoon."

"Ashley? Ashley Davenport?" Victoria gaped, leaning forward in shock. "Conrad, are you telling me that slithering varmint is back in your employ?"

Realizing in all his frenzy he had forgotten to use discretion, Conrad backpedaled. "Now before you work yourself up dear, please recall that Ashley is now wife to our former comrade Salvador Grobet and could singlehandedly own the Eastern coast if she so pleased," he explained, assuming her generous pockets removed her from suspicion. "I have no reason to suspect she's anything but a smart, newly rich woman who's good at her job."

"She certainly is," Victoria smirked, shaking her head in disbelief. "And just how do you explain her sudden reappearance as it coincides to what I just shared about Jack Porter?" On Conrad's pause, she leered to answer it herself. "She's in it with him, you fool!"

Victoria rose to her feet, letting her eyes fall over her husband condescendingly while he stood in place, sorting out the correlation for the first time. "Oh, my poor Conrad," she fawned, taking her tea in hand to finish in the parlor. "Yet another female conquest hell-bent on your destruction, it's like…" she trailed, recalling his earlier comment with a smile. "Déjà vu all over again."

SCENE

Daniel paced his office, trying both Emily's home phone and her cellular for nearly the fifth time before finally giving up in a huff. "Where are you, Em…" he whispered aloud to himself, while bracing his weight on his desk.

Suddenly, he perked up at the noise of an elevator opening in the corridor, and rushed over to investigate – thinking it a stray possibility that she had come there to meet him. Instead, his countenance dropped as he saw it was just a repair technician. "Can I help you?" he called out, and the technician looked up at once.

"Afternoon, Mr. Grayson?" he asked. "I'm here to get your mainframe back online."

Daniel narrowed his eyes, watching him closely. "Uh, right," he stammered. "Well I've sent all the employees home already for the day so I think we're all good here," he tried to sluff him off. "Funny – I don't remember placing a call for the mainframe?"

As Daniel watched, the technician nervously lowered his cap, partially covering his face while he peered down at a clipboard. "Oh, standard procedure, sir," he replied. "We're contracted to come out within 6 hours of any outage to restore the mainframe for business continuity purposes." He attempted to proceed forward, but Daniel moved an inch to block his path.

"Well, like I said," Daniel continued to rationalize. "I've already sent my employees home, so I'm making the executive decision to continue business tomorrow. I'm sure my other partners have experienced the same issues across the board; there's no risk being down for one more day."

"Then lucky for you," the technician answered right back with a pressing grin. "We're looking at a full reboot starting with a comprehensive diagnostic, so I'd say it'll take several hours at least to run, plus another few hours until I can restore access. That should work out perfect to be up and running by tomorrow?"

This time, Daniel had no response to his evasion. "Right – perfect," he conceded, trying to come up with another excuse just as he spied his mother coming out of the elevator next. Her unexpected presence distracting him, he allowed the technician to slip by, headed for the server room.

Daniel sighed in annoyance at the missed opportunity, while Victoria stormed towards him and pointed to his office. "Ah, uh," he called out to the technician while following her. "Listen, I've got to attend to something but as soon as the servers are up I want to be notified—"

"You got it, boss," the technician answered hastily.

Daniel continued to get a sinking feeling but was forced to hold off. "Mother, what are you doing here?" he demanded right away, shutting the door behind him.

"I was just about to ask you the same," she replied sternly, clutching at her handbag. "Considering on the way over your father told me he instructed you to steer clear of Grayson Global and yet hours before his gubernatorial announcement – here you are."

Daniel levied another suspicious look to her. "Since when are you so supportive of Dad's campaign – much less any advice he has to give?" he asked.

"Since I recently uncovered the coup to derail it," she smoldered. "Led by none other than Jack Porter and this family's clearly revolving door – Ashley Davenport."

Daniel chuckled, finding his mother's delayed awareness to be comical. "Oh you're just finding that out?" he mocked her. "Well, what can I say, Mom – you and Dad are so full of secrets nowadays, you were bound to step on a few of each other's." He folded his arms in thought. "And it looks like after stepping on Ashley for years, it's finally come back to bite you."

"Ashley's presence in itself does not concern me," Victoria clarified. "But her coalition with Jack does. Especially since your dear sister is nearly attached to the Porter family, and has been acting strangely ever since the campaign's beginning." She stepped forward in presumption. "Now, I would hate to think she's had anything to do with a sabotage of your father, but with the two of them working together, who knows what information they may have tried to coerce out of her?"

"Oh you mean like Dad's lovechild with Lydia? Or our long-lost brother?" Daniel fired back, humored by her suggestion. "Trust me, mother, Patrick was news to us both – Charlotte was just in the dark as I was—"

"I'm not talking about Patrick," Victoria corrected him, sensitive to the reference. "Jack had evidence in his possession – a videotape he planned to use and a laptop he was after that suddenly disappeared with Amanda's death—"

Daniel could not restrain himself. "And you think Charlotte had something to do with it?!" he roared back, shaking his head incredulously. "You know, you and Dad are unbelievable," he started in. "Even when you're standing there covered in the evidence of your own guilt, all you can care about is how to cover it up and who else you can blame it on."

Victoria's eyes fell solemn, as she desperately tried to plead her reasoning. "Daniel, that's not true—" she insisted, but he talked over her.

"Do you want to know the real reason your daughter's been acting off lately?" he challenged, knowing he was breaking a promise but too enraged to think about it. "It's because she's pregnant."

A tremor went through Victoria's nerves as she absorbed the admission in silence. "Yeah, that's right, Charlotte's pregnant," Daniel emphasized with a nod. "She's bringing a child into this god-awful family and she's scared to death! Can you blame her?"

Again, Victoria remained painfully quiet, and Daniel left in favor of investigating the technician while he still had time to find out whether something sinister was afoot. On his way out he couldn't help adding, "So instead of playing detective, why don't you go across the street to be with your daughter, and try playing mother for a change?"

SCENE

"Conrad, there you are!"

Ashley sped up to catch the former mid-stride as he made his way back into his campaign office, arriving only minutes earlier on the chopper. He turned to face her with an uneasy look, slowing his pace. "Miss… Grobet," Conrad greeted. "Just reporting in? May I ask where you've been all this time?"

"Caught in traffic from the outage," Ashley delivered her rehearsed answer. "I got the notification that you were sending all staff home until it could be restored – I came in when I heard it was back up."

"Admirable," Conrad bemused her, continuing towards his office. "But as I'm sure you're aware that stipulation only applied to my lower level staff," he paused for direct emphasis. "Not my trusted close associates, hm?"

"Of course," she obliged, looking to her clipboard nervously.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Conrad prodded her, feeling her out.

Ashley assuaged him with a pleasant grin. "Ah, only that the press have been hounding me about moving your speech up to 3:00," she posed expectantly. "The staff is prepared to accommodate them?"

"The simple answer is no," Conrad cut in without a moment's hesitation. "We announced the speech would be at 4:00, and that is exactly the time I'm going be delivering it." He brushed over it, still uncertain if it was a legitimate request or a sign of her cahoots with Jack. "Now, will that be all?" he pressed again, prompting her to look at him oddly. "No news of our missing person?" he hinted.

"Oh yes!" she gasped, realizing she owed him an update on Lydia's whereabouts. "Um, it's actually come to my attention that um, well she's in a facility at the moment," she recalled based on her discussion with Amanda. "Resting before the big day."

With the confirmation that Lydia and his unborn child were well, Conrad relaxed. "Good," he replied, tapping her shoulder. "Well, if that's everything I think I'll try to make a few last adjustments to my speech before I go on. Oh, one more thing," he added, doubling back to implement a final test of her loyalty. "Be sure to let security know that Jack Porter is not allowed on-site at any time, for any reason."

Her eyes doubled in size, proving his Victoria's theory just by her reaction. "Jack Porter?" Ashley repeated. "But without his contributions, you wouldn't be where you are now in the polls?"

"Yeah, well, let's just say that I have reason to suspect that we'll be better off in the home stretch without him," Conrad explained, turning to enforce her complicity. "I do trust that you won't mention anything to him directly?"

She lifted her gaze, pretending to follow suit. "Of course not," she agreed, and swiftly walked off. But unbeknownst to her, Conrad kept his eyes fixed from afar, watching as she pulled out her phone and began tapping away rapidly.

While he believed his suspicions to be confirmed, Ashley looked down at the contact she was reaching out to – the number Amanda had given her before leaving Emily's. She decided to call and lifted the phone to her ear. "Listen, I know you said only to use this if it was an emergency but it is – I'm convinced Conrad knows about Jack's plans to sabotage. You have to stop him!" She paused, hearing only silence on the other line and lowered her voice to confirm. "Amanda, are you there?"

Amanda whispered in response, numbly holding the phone to her ear while she stared through the window of the Stowaway. "Yeah, I'm here," she answered, her voice cracking from the dryness of her mouth. "I'm at the Stowaway right now."

Ashley perked up in excitement. "Oh thank God – listen you have to talk to him, tell him to stay away from the campaign office," she stopped short, brainstorming. "Hell, the moment he sees you he'll probably want to bloody run away!"

"I don't think so," Amanda responded slowly, and Ashley thought she heard a sniffle on the other line. "I can't do this – I have to go," she replied flatly and suddenly the line went dead.

Confused, Ashley spoke in a hushed tone. "Amanda?" she pressed. "Amanda, wait-!"

But it was too late. With shuddering realization, Amanda continued to stare at the reason for her recourse. Jack was seated at a bar table, an open folder spread out before him as his head drooped forward in his hands and his shoulders shook heavily from sobs. His anguish and desperation were imminent but more tangibly, at his feet were glass shards covering what Amanda could make out as their wedding photo. And despite all her hopes for rekindling what they had lost, her faith had waned as she watched him break into angry tears from the sight of it and then violently smash it to the ground.

SCENE

"Takeda was murdered."

Aiden froze at the sound of Emily's voice over his shoulder and turned from where he stood over a packed suitcase on his bed. He had not even heard her come in due to the thoughts clouding his mind, blocking out nearly any trace of the outside world. But at last the final remnant of his fears had come to the fore, heralded by Emily's expected arrival with it.

He dropped the item of clothing in hand and braced himself as she approached with tears in eyes for the second time that day. "Amanda was there," she continued with implication. "You know what happened," she asked him, though it sounded more like a statement.

"I'm sorry," he responded habitually, realizing she might possibly have a different perception of the truth. In no rush to change it, he glanced back at his suitcase as a selfish thought came to mind. "Emily, I tried to stop you… I know you must feel incredibly lost right now – but you can leave this behind," he offered. "All of it. Come away with me," he pled recklessly. "We've got the Grayson's fortune – we could disappear together."

Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she continued in spite of his plea. "What? Aiden, how can you even think about that at a time like this?" she spurned. "You know I'm with Daniel," she reminded him while he turned to block it out, running a hand through his hair. "And according to you that money is in Amanda's name and she's still out there, I can't just leave her behind—"

She suddenly cut herself short as her eyes caught sight of Aiden's inner arm while he had it raised. With shocking clarity, she came over to him, grabbing his wrist by the hand to inspect while her eyes darkened in accusation. "You," she unraveled angrily, seeing the lingering blood stains of a flesh wound made by a katana. "You killed him?!"

Aiden shook his arm away. "Emily, he was going to kill her!" he confessed, rising to meet the fire in her eyes. She shrunk back while he continued. "Yes, that's right; Takeda was using Amanda to his advantage, not the other way around. When I found out, I threatened to expose him and he threatened to slit her throat," he stopped to take a breath, watching as Emily took in all that he was saying. "I told him to release her and fight me instead – you have to believe me."

In spite of her growing animosity, Emily could not deny that she did believe him but she continued to tremble at the puncture of his confession. "So that's it, then," she conceded, throwing her hands up in the air. "Everything I worked for and just like that—" she snapped a finger. "Takeda betrays us and you kill him? And once again I'm left in the dark to find out."

Sympathizing, Aiden stepped in to console her. "Emily, I know how hard it is for you to find out this way, how it must pain you to feel out of control—" He paused when she shot him a look to tread carefully and then softened his approach. "But believe me when I tell you it was torture for me as well – I knew how much it meant to you, this obsession with revenge, this affair with Daniel," he enumerated, as she turned away in annoyance. He continued to press her, pulling her back. "You would never be free of it, it's consumed you and I knew this, somehow I wanted to protect you – please, Emily I kept this secret from you because I love you—"

Before he could finish, Emily had jerked around and slapped him clear across the face, interrupting his barrage with the sting of her hatred. While he flinched backwards, she leaned in to speak. "Don't you dare try to make this about your feelings for me, Aiden!" she hissed. "If you ever cared for me you would have told me the truth! Not hidden behind it, pretending it was all an act of honor. I won't tell you this again – this mission is mine to finish, not yours! And regardless of what you may have done to ruin it, I'm not running away," she reminded him, partially in reply to his outlandish request. She stepped back, just as her phone began to ring from her jacket pocket. "But I think it's time that you did."

While Aiden remained stone-faced from her scolding she turned to answer the phone. "Daniel," she exhaled, feeling the slightest uplift from a harrowing day. She ignored Aiden's scowl in the background, taking relief from Daniel's voice instead. "Are you alright?"

"Emily, thank God," he sighed in unison, content to finally reach her. "Yes, I'm at Grayson Global," he breathed, hearing static on the connection. "Ems, I have to talk to you, it's important—"

"Daniel?" she repeated, hearing the same static on her end. She moved about in the room, stopping to look at the phone before raising it to her ear once more. "Daniel, you're breaking up—"

"Em?" he repeated anxiously. "Em, I said I'm at Grayson Global—" he started. "Can I meet you somewhere – where are you?"

"Daniel?" she repeated again, only able to make out 'Grayson Global' from the gurgled reply. "I'll be right there," she finally promised, and ended the call as the connection finally broke. She then stormed out of Aiden's room, saving an unsavory glance for him as he followed her out.

"Where are you going?" he demanded, keeping up as she strode down the hall.

"To see Daniel," she answered angrily without stopping. "Apparently he's the only person that's still telling me the truth!"

Unwillingly to let it stand, Aiden rushed to step in front of her, stopping her at the door despite the menacing look she gave for him to move. Knowing he stood little chance of halting her from going, he gave his last attempt at quelling his heart's desire with a provocative question.

"Are you quite sure of that?"

SCENE

Declan rushed through the campaign office with urgency, nearly running into the security detail at the entrance. "Hey!" the suited guard stopped him short, holding him back with a hand. "You can't come in here, pal."

"Look I promise I'm not here to cause any trouble," Declan promised. "I'm here to talk to my girlfriend—" he cut short, suddenly seeing Victoria brush past him at the next entrance over. "Mrs. Grayson!" he called out hopefully.

"Ah, Declan," she appraised him with a disdainful look. A glance at his compromised position with security told her he was having difficulty getting in. "This one's clear for now," she informed them. "I'll escort him personally, there's something we need to discuss."

With Victoria's admonition the guards let him go, leaving her to lead him through to Conrad's empty office. Declan walked in curiously, as Victoria secured the door behind them. "Um… thanks for your help, Mrs. Grayson," he stammered. "Is Charlotte here? I need to speak to her, it's important."

Victoria pinched her lips in a thin line as she slipped off her gloves. "Charlotte's gone for a walk to clear her head," she informed him. "But I've always fancied us as having a healthy respect for one another, a respect born of the fact that you've understood your rightful place in this family," she paused, as Declan perked up with drawn interest. "In that you don't have one," she finished.

Declan sighed and shook his head ruefully while she continued. "So imagine my confusion when you have the audacity to show up here after everything you've done—" Victoria continued to berate him, until he finally interjected.

"Mrs. Grayson, that's what I came to talk to Charlotte about," he insisted. "That new friend of hers, Rick – I know you probably think he's ten times better for her than me. He's rich and charming, but you have no idea who he really is—"

"Declan, please don't take my aversion to you to be a matter of preference," Victoria took her turn to interrupt, drawing closer. "I am not asking you to leave on account of your family's annual income; I'm asking you to leave because of your insistence on leading Charlotte to a life of misery." When Declan creased his brow without understanding she added. "Please tell me you don't think the child you fathered to be a blessing?"

With a heavy thud, Declan allowed her words to resonate, flustering in response. "Wait—what? Child?" he fawned. "Are you saying Charlotte's pregnant?"

Victoria folded her arms defensively. "Oh, I see she hasn't told you," she observed, reading his genuine reaction. "And for good reason," she added.

"There's gotta—" Declan stammered. "There's gotta be a mistake," he concluded, dropping all signs of proceeding with his own news. His gaze dropped downward, giving Victoria the opportunity to usher him out the door.

"Oh, there is," she replied, pointed the way out. "And I am done looking at it.
Stay the hell away from my daughter, or your ability to procreate will be nothing but a distant memory."

Declan shuffled out of the office at her request, taking slow steps as he exited, which gave time for Conrad to observe him in passing. He watched curiously and then looked to his wife in interest, coming up beside her. "It seems the Porter boys are causing this family nothing but grief of late," he commented. "What was that about?

"Nothing," Victoria answered instinctively, seeing no reason to inform him of Charlotte's condition. "I took care of it," she replied, prompting him. "Did you take care of the other Porter?"

Conrad sneered mischievously. "Well, as much as I dearly hate to admit when you're right my dear, I investigated your concerns with Ashley and I do believe you are on to something." Victoria sniffed confidently, letting him continue. "I just took the liberty of obtaining her phone without her knowledge and sending a particularly leading text that should keep dear Jack from storming the press conference later on."

Victoria cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Impressive," she flattered him. "You must have taken my advice to heart if you've resorted to getting even your own hands dirty?"

Conrad snickered. "If you thought I was going to allow him to commandeer the podium, you've sorely underestimated me," he replied.

Victoria tipped her chin without regret. "Well, it's a habit of mine," she boasted, walking out.

He checked his watch cautiously, and took out his phone on cue while commenting to her back. "A habit you'd be wise to break…"

SCENE

Daniel paced outside the server room, keeping a guarded eye on the technician. So far he seemed to be legitimately running tests on the mainframe, but he knew there was still something awry. He finally started back down the hallway to his office to wait for Emily, and upon entry the sound of his desk phone ringing disrupted his thoughts. With a grimace at the caller ID, he picked up. "You know, I'm really starting to suspect you know whatever is going on here," he greeted his father on the other line.

"Son, whatever nonsensical ideas are floating around in your head, I need you to dismiss them and get back over here at headquarters immediately," Conrad coerced back. "I need you by my side for a show of confidence, please."

Daniel read the time off of his phone – it was almost 3:30pm. Even if it was nearing time for the speech to begin, he knew better than to trust his father. "Yeah—yeah, I'll be there," he obliged him flatly. With that he slammed the phone down in exasperation, just in time to see Emily coming out of the elevator down the hall.

"Em," he breathed joyfully in a low whisper, just as she caught eyes with him. They rushed towards each other, locking in a warm embrace by his office doors and despite Daniel's deep relief; he sensed her own similar release by how she tightly held him. Noting it atypical to her usual show of emotion, he broke away to study her. "Are you alright?" he implored, tenderly cupping her face with his hands and stroking her hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine," she nodded anxiously, and felt the strangest sensation of being a little girl again in his arms. If nothing else, Daniel's unconditional love had always been a refuge for her, even when she plowed through the first few months of their pseudo relationship trying to bury her feelings. His gift at magnetically drawing them to the surface stemmed from his own vulnerability, and the trait was becoming contagious. Nevertheless, she bravely plundered on, noting the urgency in his eyes.

"Good," Daniel sighed, quickly moving to priority. "Look, we have to get out of here – I sent all the employees home after the blackout, this all has to be connected to the Initiative."

"It is," she agreed emphatically.

"My father is behind this," he continued with her support. "There has to be a way I can prove it, he's been acting strangely ever since the power came back and he's demanding I get over to campaign headquarters…"

As Daniel trailed off in thought to gather his things from his desk, Emily rushed to fill in the rest. "Daniel, your father may be working with the Initiative, but there's someone else you should know has been at the helm," she inserted staunchly. "Takeda is the third party on the ACF account. He used Aiden to initiate the transfer, and he's been using us all along to help him."

Daniel's jaw nearly dropped as he froze from clearing his desk. "He's working with the Initiative?" he gaped.

"He was, that is," Emily clarified solemnly with a gaze to the floor. She took a heavy breath before meeting his gaze again. "He's dead," she completed. "When Takeda found out Aiden knew the truth he cornered him into a fight – and he lost."

"My God," Daniel returned, instinctively reacting to the sorrow in her eyes. While she collected herself he processed the intricate revelation, purging his thoughts aloud in a moment he would soon regret. "So that's what he was onto," he whispered, recalling his last conversation with Aiden.

Emily squinted ever so slightly as she made out his reply. "He told you?" she questioned.

"Ah, we spoke briefly before he left, he was worried about some files Takeda was looking into," Daniel answered uneasily, continuing to draw Emily's interest. He tried to redirect, restating the implausible. "But I can't believe he killed him?"

She took a step closer towards where he stood at his desk. "There was another factor in why he didn't have a choice," she offered, deliberating. "It's something I'm having a hard time accepting…"

Daniel watched her, feeling a gnawing in his stomach that signaled him to do something, but his muscles tensed and his jaw locked, willfully not allowing him to speak. Instead he merely lowered his chin, gesturing for her to finish.

"Takeda had… Amanda captive," Emily finally said. "That's why he was forced to fight him. She's alive, Daniel," she explained, waiting for the shock to fill his countenance. "All this time… she's been alive, and Aiden kept it from me."

If Daniel's face was unable to convey his surprise and dismay, the inevitable sinking in his heart sold the emotion instead. He quaked with fear at his inability to tell Emily first, his sore underestimation of the truth's eventual reveal, and lastly his own failure to react in honesty. Instead he merely came around the desk to embrace her again, kissing the nape of her neck while he gripped her tight. "Emily, I…" he trailed, knowing it was too late and that he could not bring himself to tell her now. "I… I don't know what to say?"

Subconsciously Emily knew something felt amiss but she continued to hold onto him, sensing the air between them was about to change once they separated. She wanted desperately to believe his sympathy, as much as he wanted her to in turn, but there was palpable tension present – unspoken and yet oddly undeniable.

While rehearsing in his mind what he could possibly say to excuse his response, Daniel's eyes suddenly fell on the hall up ahead where the technician was now headed for the elevator. He broke away suddenly, pleading. "Emily, I'm sorry but this is the guy," he rushed to tell her. "I think he's from the Initiative – wait here!"

He pulled away from her before she could follow and she watched him dash into the hall, frozen in place by a disconcerted feeling. A sea of memories was spinning away in her head, spurred on by Daniel's words just before their embrace. So that's what he was onto, she heard him say again, and tried to think why it should stand out. She knew for some time that Daniel and Aiden had a level of confidence but now it unsteadied her, as if it were… intentional that she should not know? But for what reason, she asked herself. As she pondered gravely, another memory came to mind – the moment that Amanda's body was found. She cursed herself for not thinking to question it before and recalled with distress that Daniel had been the one to identify her body – the body she now knew could not possibly have been hers. It's alright; she recalled his words to the coroner. I'm Charlotte's brother—I can make the ID.

Emily's head abruptly snapped up in realization and she fixed her eyes on Daniel as he continued talking in the hall. With final recollection, Aiden's words returned to mind, plaguing her with his taunt. Are you quite sure of that? He had asked before she left to come here, while she was certain that Daniel was the only one still telling her the truth.

Before she could act on her suspicions, Daniel was soon hastening back towards the office. "It's them," he confirmed urgently, taking her by the hand once the technician was gone. "He doesn't know I'm onto him but almost 100% certain he's with the Initiative. We have to get out of here," he urged her sincerely. "I'm going to make a final sweep of the office and then we're marching across the street and cornering my father – I don't care whether he's taking the stage or not."

Emily studied his face with intensity, suspending her concerns to decipher his true intent. Despite all that connected in her mind, he seemed genuinely enraged and ready to take his father down without hesitation – everything that she believed he was moments ago, her partner in her journey and the man she had promised to marry with all earnestness. But the seed of doubt had been planted and distrust was beginning to collect in her heart. "You go ahead," she suggested, nodding swiftly to appease him. "I'm going to make sure Nolan is safe too, I think he's still down the street at Nolcorp."

"Alright," Daniel conceded, just relieved she would be leaving ahead of him. With a pressing need for reassurance, he leaned in to bid her goodbye with a brief but firm kiss. "I'll meet you over there." Emily allowed the affectionate gesture with a nod, not altogether removed from her feelings but passively trying to understand what they meant.

Still feeling unfinished, Daniel assumed her low countenance was a result of her concern for Amanda and insisted, "Hey – we'll find her, alright?" He watched her eyes for acceptance of his promise and added, "I love you."

With determination she sold him on her complacency, but could not bring herself to say the words in return. Instead, she smiled through her pain, and simply returned the goodbye in kind. "I'll see you at headquarters," she replied.

SCENE

"Charlotte? Charlotte, are you there?"

Declan moved briskly down the city sidewalk, hoping to get a hold of Charlotte in wake of the news Victoria revealed to him at campaign headquarters. His fourth call to her had finally connected, and he was desperate to keep her on if only for a moment.

"Declan?" she answered, finishing her stroll on the eastern side of the campaign office while unbeknownst to her Declan left from the west. Her heart fluttered at the sound of his voice, missing him undoubtedly but panged with guilt. "Declan, I'm so sorry for pulling away from you this past week," she apologized immediately. "I hurt you and I shouldn't have – I don't know what's wrong with me, I've just been so stupid—"

"Charlotte, that's just the thing," he rushed, just relieved to finally hear her voice. He stopped in place, not wanting her to continue a minute further before hearing his assurance. "I do know what's wrong with you and I understand." He sighed heavily, continuing. "Your mother told me about the baby – and I think it's great."

"My mother?" Charlotte fawned, shocked that she had even found out. She brushed it aside to concentrate on his reaction. "Really?" she exhaled.

"Yes," he confirmed, hearing static on the line. He glanced up and kept walking, assuming the towers were still having trouble with connection. "Char – can you hear me?"

Meanwhile, Charlotte's momentary excitement was quickly interrupted as from the corner of her eye she saw someone approaching her. To her surprise, it was Rick. "Hey," he greeted her, ignoring the fact she was on the call. "Can we talk?"

"Um," she murmured nervously, hoping Declan had not heard.

"Is someone there?" he replied on the line, dispelling her fear. His attentiveness zoned in. "Charlotte, are you with Rick?"

"N-no," Charlotte stammered worriedly, signally for Rick to leave but he persisted, continuing to mouth that they needed to talk.

"Charlotte, I won't get upset," Declan tried to console her quickly. "But you have to listen to me he's not who you think he is, he's been trying to get close to your family for a reason—" again he paused, hearing static on the line. "Charlotte, are you there?" he repeated.

Missing parts of what he said, Charlotte continued to insist she was not with Rick. "Declan I'm not with him, I'm," she stammered, looking to Rick to give her space while she thought of an alibi. "I'm with Daniel," she insisted nimbly. "Just –just meet me at his office," she asked.

Catching the tail end, Declan accepted it, content to end the poor connection in hopes of seeing her soon. He changed routes to head back towards Grayson Global, hoping she heard his last reply before hanging up. "I'll be right there," he promised.

Charlotte ended the call and started off to meet him but Rick grabbed her by the arm. "Let me go!" she demanded, pulling away. "I'm done following you all over town, Rick."

"Charlotte, wait—" he insisted but she remained resolute.

"Look, I haven't been myself lately but the truth is, I love Declan," she asserted, hoping it would make him go away. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but this—this relationship is over."

Again she tried to leave, but this time Rick held a more secure grip. "Charlotte, I'm sorry but I can't let you go just yet," he persisted and the determination in his eyes worried her, impelling her to remain still. "This may not make much sense to you now but one day it will. And as much as you think our relationship is over I can promise you – that it's not."

While Charlotte was remiss for response, meanwhile Declan was making headway in a brisk jog down the street, running so quickly he almost didn't notice when he nearly ran over his own brother headed the same direction.

"Hey!" Jack called out to him, recognizing his near-miss. "Dec!"

Declan stopped short and doubled back, surprised to see his brother also in a brisk stride, clutching a folder under his arm. "Jack – buddy what are you doing here?"

Jack glanced around nervously before answering. "I just got word from Ashley," he explained. "Victoria must have spilled the news to Conrad that I have his footage. He wants me to meet him at Grayson Global before his speech today. What are you doing here?"

"Meeting Charlotte," Declan replied, narrowing his eyes. "But she said it's just her and Daniel there, not Conrad. Isn't that message a little convenient for him to keep you out of the way?"

"I thought so too," Jack agreed sourly. "But after reading this over, I might have to hold off on my plan to expose him," he thrust forward the folder for Declan to read. "Victoria let me search their safe during the blackout last night. Of course I didn't find the laptop but I found this instead – it's a folder she kept on Amanda. And it's enough to discredit anything I try to bring against him."

"Mysterious accounts, overseas travel to Japan," Declan browsed aloud and then looked to his brother in understanding, noting the anguish in his eyes. "Let me guess," he ventured. "You took one look at all of this, and decided was it worth it to avenge someone you think you barely knew?"

Jack just shook his head in agreement. "She was keeping secrets, Declan," he admitted hurtfully. "Lots of them; I don't even know who this person was?"

Declan closed the folder shut, shoving it back into Jack's hands. "I do. She was your wife, Jack," he reminded him. "And my sister-in-law, and Carl's mother. And it doesn't matter what life she had before, she didn't get the chance to start a new one – all because of the Graysons."

Jack absorbed his pep talk, knowing he was right. "So you think I shouldn't give up?"

"I know you shouldn't," Declan confirmed. "And not only do I know it because you're my brother but you're a good person. And you're going to do the right thing, I'm sure of it." With an assuring pat on his shoulder, he leaned in as his brother pulled him into a thankful embrace, relieved at the support. Once they separated Declan continued, "Besides I just came from getting kicked out of the campaign office and I know for a fact that Conrad was there. Ashley's been lying to you."

With realization, Jack filled with urgency, determined even more so to plow ahead. "Well then, looks like I'm going to headquarters," he started away. "You still heading for Grayson Global?"

"Yeah, I've got to talk to Charlotte," Declan insisted, gesturing towards the building. He motioned to say more but knew it wasn't the right time. "And… to you too at some point."

Jack knew his look to mean it was something important but thought better of calling him on it at the time. "Well, whatever it is," he stated, echoing his brother's sentiment before going his separate way. "I'm sure you'll do the right thing."

"I hope so," Declan returned, waving him off. "I'll see you later."

SCENE

Emily had barely made it into Nolan's office when he leapt from his seat at the sight of her. "There you are!" he exclaimed urgently, setting down the phone he had started to dial. "I just finished the last diagnostic on the emptied account. I couldn't trace the owner but I have a routing number we can hopefully use to find Amanda if Aiden was telling the truth about transferring it to her—" he began.

"Save it for later," Emily instructed him urgently. "I just came from Daniel, whatever the Initiative is planning, they're doing it now! Come on, we have to go," she motioned to him while he begged a hand in protest.

"W-w-wait, Ems," Nolan reminded her. "I left Aiden a message telling him to meet us here; I thought we were going to try to figure out what happened—?"

"I already know what happened," Emily asserted, ceasing her pace to explain. "He was there when I got to his house," she informed him, to a confused look in return. Knowing she had no other choice she finally sighed. "It wasn't Amanda that killed Takeda. It was him, Nolan. It was Aiden."

Nolan lowered the computer in his hands back down to the desk to absorb her words, his face contorting in shock. "Aiden?" he merely repeated in a low breath.

Emily edged closer to continue. "He fought him to protect Amanda – Takeda had taken her captive," she explained, looking to his eyes for solace. "But that's not the worst part… Nolan, I think Daniel knew about Amanda too."

"Wait, what?" Nolan's expression became even more shaken on that admission, studying his companion for answers. "How do you know?"

"Think about it," Emily urged in comprehension. "Daniel identified Amanda's body," she listed. "He admitted to speaking to Aiden while he was on the boat, they've even had full disclosure between each other since the Masquerade Ball, maybe even sooner!" She drew back, watching as Nolan pieced it all together and allowed a disquieting thought to enter her mind. "My God, he's even been saying her name in his sleep, I've just been so distracted I never saw it coming!" she trailed off, shaking her head at her own ignorance.

Nolan comforted her with an assuring gesture, seeing his friend starting to unravel. "Whoa, Ems – calm down! None of this means he's trying to betray you—" he interrupted himself when her expression begged to differ. "Ok, ok, where is he now?" he asked instead.

"He's clearing the office, but he wants me to meet him at campaign headquarters across the street," she recalled, starting to calm down. "He says it's our opportunity to corner Conrad during his speech but Nolan, how can I be sure he's even telling the truth?" She brushed off his attempt to allay her concerns again and kept on. "He backed out of taking a stand on live TV; he could have some motive in all of this!"

"Emily, you don't know that—" Nolan tried again.

"Then why wouldn't he tell me?!" she belted again, blanking in disillusion. "Why would either of them do this, I just don't understand—" she raised her hands to massage her temples. "I don't know who to trust anymore," she whispered in a defeated tone.

"Hey, hey," Nolan rushed to her aide. "Ems, you can trust me alright?" he reminded her, taking pity on her conflicted state. "And I knowDaniel loves you. No matter what he's done – even if he and Aiden did keep Amanda a secret, the point is, they were protecting you—" he stopped when she tried to protest but talked over her. "Either way, it's good news, right? I mean…. Emily, have you even stopped to think about it? She's alive."

For the first time since learning the truth, Emily took advantage of the silence following Nolan's words to let it truly sink in. As much as she had spent the past day in anguish over finding out the truth, she could not deny that when it was all said and done, she was gaining someone she thought she had lost. And while they had yet to find her, it was more hope than she could ever wish for – more reward than seeking revenge would ever beget.

"You're right," Emily finally conceded, pulling herself together. A lack of sleep the night before certainly was contributing to the intensity of her emotions but she needed to focus. "But I still need to talk to Daniel," she insisted, conscious of the time. "And we need to get out of here."

Nolan agreed with a nod, grabbing up his computer once again and adding, "If he is taking down Conrad, then all you two need to be talking about is how to do it together."

Once again Emily saw the insight in his words. "Alright – let's go."

SCENE

While his father stood mere steps away from him, ready to take the stage with an arrogant smile, Daniel lurked in the background, both watching for the right moment to make his move and scanning the audience for Emily. Just as Conrad breached the walk to the podium, he felt determination fill him inside. He owed her this, especially considering the lie he had allowed her to believe and the fact that soon enough, Amanda's eventual return would see the full truth revealed. Hoping to lessen the blow with his pledge of support, Daniel began to take a step forward to interrupt his father's speech – but was suddenly pulled back.

"Hey!" a voice whispered into his ear, and he turned to see Ashley yanking him onto the sideline, just out of sight of his parents onstage.

"Ashley, what the hell are you doing?" Daniel rebuffed her, shaking her off.

"Daniel, it's urgent," she implored him. "I need to talk to Emily—where is she?"

"She should be here," Daniel assumed, realizing that despite not seeing her in the crowd perhaps he had relied too heavily on her assurance to meet him there. He watched as Ashley pulled up the guest manifest, shaking her head.

"She hasn't checked in with security," Ashley insisted. "And it's incredibly urgent I talk to her, you won't believe what's happened when I tell you."

Something in Ashley's eyes told Daniel it was somehow connected to Amanda and instead of disregarding her concerns he thought better of it and pulled out his phone. "Alright, just wait here I'm going to try and reach her," he instructed, stepping away to mutter under his breath. "Emily, come on, pickup – please tell me you're not still over there…"

As worry filled his heart, he listened and listened as the phone rang without answer and finally went to Emily's voicemail. Cursing in distress, Daniel ended the call and began to try again – but not before the crux of his father's speech incited thunderous applause in the background, followed by an alert that suddenly appeared on his phone.

In unison, Ashley received the same alert not ten feet away from him, and both looked up at each other as they read the clearly ominous text message. Long Live David Clarke.

MONTAGE SCENES

Jack stepped away from the entrance of the campaign headquarters in defeat, starting a slow trail down the steps just as he saw Emily and Nolan come rushing to a halt from a run down the street.

"Hey—" he began, while their combined voices soon overtook his reaction.

"Jack, what are you doing here?!" Emily started in first.

He gestured backward with his thumb. "Getting blocked out by security," he answered curtly.

Emily's eyes darted from him to the glass window where Conrad could be seen at the podium giving his speech and back to Jack again. "You're here to come after Conrad, aren't you?" she asked below earshot of security, quickly answering her own question. "Jack, you don't have to do this, trust me – he's about to get his already, I just need to find Daniel," she assured him.

As she was halfway up the steps, Jack stopped her short. "Oh, you won't find him here," he inserted. "Daniel and Charlotte are at Grayson Global."

"Charlotte?" Nolan repeated, looking to Emily for confirmation.

Emily was close enough to take another glimpse through the window and could clearly see Charlotte onstage beside her mother, next to Conrad. But to Jack's point, Daniel was noticeably absent. She doubled back, her face falling in disbelief. "Charlotte's inside—but Daniel was supposed to clear the building and come here, are you sure about that?" she asked.

Jack put his hands up innocently. "I swear, Declan said Daniel was there," he affirmed, suddenly growing suspicious. "What's going on, what do you mean he was supposed to clear the building?"

"Oh my God," Nolan sighed, just as Emily pushed past him, bolting the other direction.

"I have to go!" she shouted, calling back. "Jack—stay there!"

"Wait—what's going ON—" Jack insisted, just as he heard an alert sound on Nolan's phone beside him. He took his glance off Emily sprinting down the street to look over at it, reading the text in unison with Nolan. Long Live David Clarke.

SCENE

Aiden sighed deeply in the backseat of the taxicab that took him through town, taking the moment alone to remove his passport from his packed bag beside him. In his hand he held the key to a new identity, a new life, and the end of what seemed to be a lifelong quest to avenge his enemies. And yet, on the likely chance that his encounter with Emily had been his last, he found himself unready to leave. As much as he knew it to be his only option it was sobering to bare it with only her anger and disappointment as a farewell. He wondered why he strove so hard for her approval and chuckled to himself that it was rather feminine of him to let it provoke him so deeply.

At long last he realized his only source of relief was that despite the unfortunate ending to his estranged friendship with Emily, Amanda still lived and that alone was a saving grace. Anxious to ensure that she was in fact safe, he took out his phone to try reaching her on her private number yet again, but was distracted by another alert that came through in the meantime. With troubled intrigue, he read aloud as the four words appeared on the screen. Long Live David Clarke.

SCENE

Amanda took a breath as she slipped into the back of the campaign office, her hair and dress elaborately disguised to blend in with the press. But despite her appearance, beneath the surface was only clear determination for her true mission. No more than fifty feet in front of her stood Conrad on stage at the head of the room – to everyone else a symbol of a new term of governance, but to her, a clear target.

Her arrival onsite had taken longer than she predicted, and she had hoped to get there ahead of his speech commencing. But despite her latency the plan was clear as day in her mind and she needed only one moment of his time to make her final threat against him – one she was certain could not fail. She reached into her jacket pocket and took out a note while he spoke.

"…I implore you to make sure that your voice is heard in this election. Because it's not just a vote, it's an act of courage!" his voice thundered on the sound system.

Taking advantage of a brief break of applause, Amanda maneuvered her way through the crowd, keeping her head down until she reached the section where campaign aides were standing. Seeing Ashley was not among them, Amanda set her sights on the closest assistant and reached out to tap her on the shoulder. But before she could make contact, she was suddenly interrupted by a barrage of alerts in the audience.

She flinched at the oddly simultaneous sea of noise and immediately glanced to the stage. Even Victoria appeared to have received a strange notification which she stepped forward to show to her husband. Amanda could vaguely read Victoria's lips as she mouthed to Conrad, "Long Live David Clarke?"

A shadow cast over Conrad's face as he gazed eerily up at the window to his left. Amanda watched intently as a mere second later Grayson Global suddenly exploded, the blast shaking the ground and sending an impact through the on looking crowd as they watched the building erupt into flames.

SCENE

Emily fell to the ground from the shockwave and took cover as the building above her suddenly detonated, causing debris and burning cement to rain from above. She braced herself on the steps of the entrance, using the flap of her jacket to shield herself from falling ash. When the barrage gradually tapered she rose to her feet, her heart pounding in alarm as perception of the shocking reality finally registered. With fear she stared up at the burning structure, frantically whispering the name she prayed was not still inside.

"Daniel?!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: Sorry to end things with a big bang and a cliff hang but so goes part 1 of "Truth"! I do hope you enjoyed it and were able to keep up with its many twists and long-due revelations. It was my goal to ensure this chapter lived up to its name and with it I know some of you will be surprised and concerned but hopefully still intrigued! Without further ado please know I am diligently working on Part 2 so as not to leave you hanging too long as well as some way to wrap up the ominous ending for our star couple, who both seem to fear the other has been a casualty. But it will be a To Be Continued more than an end bc as I've revealed previously, I DO plan on stepping into S3! Before I do please let me know your thoughts, wishes, and what you liked about this chapter. Are you excited for the next? Can't wait to get your feedback and promise to return soon! ~love and revenge~ MothToANewFlame PS… to all my 'guest' readers out there, thank you THANK YOU for your kind reviews, I wish I could reply personally but please know your words are dearly appreciated! Xoxo!